NORTHERN TERRITORY
Due to the seasonal time-restraints and Covid 19, we sailed quickly through the Northern Territory. A permit is required to go ashore on Aboriginal territory, which covers most the rural islands and mainland up here, but permits were temporarily suspended due to the pandemic. But the sailing was good, with consistent SE Trade-Winds and there are enough places to stop that you do not need to do too many multiple day sails, should you not want to.
Useful Navigation Resources
- We had a copy of ‘Northern Territory Coast, by John M Knight from 1986. Although this is an extremely confusing cruising guide, with a lot of information poorly organized, we did draw some valuable information from it here and there.
- Other than that we scraped Navionics and Zulu Waterways for anchorages shared by users.
| ANCHORAGES | LAT/LONG | DEPTH | NOTES | DATES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refuge Bay, Elcho Island | 11°48.470'S 135°51.337'E | 4-5m sand | Great rural anchorage! | SEP 2021 |
| North of Galiwinku Elcho Island | 11°58.445'S 135°34.752'E | 4m sand | Great anchorage! Town around the corner. Internet Connection. | SEP 2021 |
| Goulburn Island (North) | 11°30.559'S 113°23.414'E | 5-7m sand | Great rural anchorage! | SEP 2021 |
| Mokuntnorris Bay (North of Coombe Point) | 11°25.651'S 132°48.782'E | 4m sand | Great rural anchorage! | SEP 2021 |
| Danger Point | 11°8.450'S 132°19.639'E | 4m sand | Great rural anchorage! Bowen Strait: Navionics does not have much sounding information, and what it has is incorrect. We navigated this Strait using John M Knight's guide from 1986, which proved useful. Travel north through Bowen Strait on ebb tide. Use Navionics tide information at Point David. Passing through shoals at Point David, we saw no depths less than 4m. The rest of the strait is plenty deep around at least 8m. Stay east of shallows in the Strait. | SEP 2021 |
| Alcaro Bay, Cape Don | 11°17.106'S 131°47.756'E | 4m sand | Great rural anchorage! Rounding Cape Don must be done in right conditions as wind against tide can make the waves stand up high and the current runs fast. Heading to Darwin, go on the very beginning of rising tide to ride it in for as long as possible. If winds blowing from South, rounding Cape Don is best right at slack tide before it starts rushing in. | SEP 2021 |
| Cape Hotham | 12°5.538'S 131°15.448'E | 6m sand | Slight roll | SEP 2021 |
| Fanny Bay, Darwin | N/A | N/A | Fanny Bay is huge and shallow. There is plenty of space to anchor but with a keel boat, expect to anchor far from shore. Allow for a 7m tide. Our anchorage for Fanny Bay is not useful, as we anchored way far out due to our exhaust braking off the manifold on the way in. | SEP 2021 |